The land at the eastern corner of Drury Lane and High Holborn may perhaps be, either wholly or in part, identified with certain land held of the Hospital of St. Giles by William Christmas in the reign of Henry III. “with the houses and appurtenances thereon, situate at the Cross by Aldewych.”[[102]] Aldewych was Drury Lane,[[103]] and the Cross by Aldewych would almost certainly be situated at the junction of the two roads. The identification of the western corner as the site of Christmas’s land seems to be excluded by the fact that this was occupied by property of John de Cruce,[[104]] who was certainly a contemporary of William Christmas.[[105]] It is possible that the land in question was situated on the north side of Broad Street, but as it is known that Christmas owned land on the south side of the way, some of which may even possibly be the actual land referred to, the identification suggested above seems reasonable. Whether in Christmas’s time there was at this spot an inn, the forerunner of the later White Hart, is unknown.[[106]] Blott’s suggestion that the sign of the White Hart was adopted in honour of Richard II., whose badge it was, even if correct, does not necessitate the assumption that no inn was there before that king’s reign (1377–1399). The sign might possibly have been changed in Richard’s honour.
The first mention of The White Hart does not, however, occur until a century and a half later. In 1537 Henry VIII. effected an exchange of property with the Master of Burton Lazars, as a result of which there passed into the royal hands “one messuage called The Whyte Harte, and eighteen acres of pasture [Purse Field] to the same messuage belonging.”[[107]] In 1524 “Katherine Smyth alias Katherine Clerke” was living in The White Hart.[[108]] She was apparently succeeded as tenant by William Hosyer,[[109]] but there is no evidence whether he actually resided in the inn.[[110]] In 1567 the occupant of the inn is said to be Matthew Buck, and in 1582 it was Richard Cockshott.[[111]] In 1623 Hugh Jones is mentioned as barber and victualler, at Holborn end, next Drury Lane.[[112]] The survey of Crown Lands taken in 1650 describes the premises as follows:—
“All that inn, messuage or tenement commonly called ... The White Harte scituate ... in St. Gyles in the feildes ... consistinge of one small hall, one parlour and one kitchen, one larder and a seller underneath the same, and above stayres in the same range, and over the gatehouse, 9 chambers. Alsoe over against the said halle and parlour is now settinge upp one bricke buildinge consistinge of 6 roomes, alsoe one stable strongly built with brick and fflemish walle, contayninge 44 feete in length and 37 feete in breadth, lofted over and covered with Dutch tyle; and two other stables next adjoyninge, built as aforesaid, and 2 tenements or dwelling houses over the same. Alsoe one large yard contayninge 110 feete in length and in breadth 46 feete. Now in the occupation of one Anthony Ives, and is worth per annum
£38.
“All yt tenement adjoyninge to ye north side of the abovesaid house, being a corner shopp, consisting of one seller and a faire shopp over the same; alsoe one kitchin, and above stayres two chambers. Nowe in the occupation of Richard Raynbowe, a grocer, and is worth per annum
£12.”
It would seem that at the time of the transfer of The White Hart to Henry VIII. there were no buildings to the east of the inn. The fact that no such premises are mentioned in connection with the exchange is not, indeed, conclusive, and it is more to the point to observe that no mention of the buildings is contained in any of the grants of the property, during the 16th century, which have been examined. Moreover, on 13th November, 1592, a certificate was returned by the Commission for Incroached Lands, etc.,[[113]] to the effect that four cottages, with appurtenances, on the south side of the highway leading from St. Giles towards Holborn, opposite certain small cottages built on the Pale Pingle,[[114]] were possessed without any grant, state or demise from the sovereign. Plate 2 shows the cottages in question, occupying the site of the buildings to the east of The White Hart.
It may be taken therefore that these four cottages were the earliest buildings on the site, and that they were erected probably not long before 1592, when their existence was first officially noticed.
By 1650 they had grown to a long range of buildings. In that year they were described as follows:—
“All that range of buildinge adjoyninge to thaforesaid inn called The White Hart, abuttinge on the high way on the north, with two tenements on the south side of The White Hart, lyenge uppon the way leadinge into Drury Lane, all which said buildings are now divided into xxj severall habitacions in the occupation of severall tenants, and are worth per annum £24.”